Michael's Arts & Crafts
World Market, Coleman Avenue, San Jose, CA

Generally I like Michael's... but this location seems to be behind on customer service. The World Market Location, Coleman Avenue, San Jose, CA.
(This store caused them the 1 star).

I've had the same terrible situation 2 times in 2 weeks @ that same store!

To begin, I love their 40% off coupons, I use them to get my "big" ticket items and I use the 20% offs for regular price items under $5, I wait for sales on anything else.

So, I go in and begin on one side of the store like usual. I make my way down to the "clearance section" which I think is GREAT to have, not all of them do. I spent quite some time rummaging around the scrapbooking paper and found this lovely vellum. I've haven't been crafty for some years now and have never attempted scrapbooking though I think it looks beautiful. So I grab a few sheets of the vellum, planning to use them as practice sheets to test some of the DIY projects I plan on doing for my wedding or my own ideas for that matter... there was no price sticker but there is a load of it, so I look at others, they were generally 0.15 to 0.25 per sheet, I figured good deal.

I get to the cashier and she rings the vellum last, it comes up 0.75 per sheet. I asked her to double check, 0.75 regular price. My request for discount pricing with the explanation that I got it from the clearance section and there was a lot of it there. The supervisor comes stating that by policy it is regular price and since it has no price tag there is nothing that can be done regardless of where it is located, she insinuated a customer stacked it there. She also stated the only prices they will honor are mis-tagged ones. In my own defense (and fellow shoppers) I explained that was highly unlikely as there was LOTS of that paper there, that EXACT sheet & that there was actually MANY designs in the clearance section without tags, asking if she thought a customer put all those there too. No direct answer, just something along the lines of "people do it all the time trying to get over". I rebutted by saying it appears more like the slack of a worker based on the amount of "untagged" items, as it was not just one or two sheets of one or two items, it was lots of paper of various type/prints/styles. Either way, she denied any type of discount and I left without the paper :(.

One incident, it happens, right? So I shop there over the next week with my new coupons. Didn't purchase anything untagged, no issues.

Today, I go to do my usual price checks on items, 20% off small items, catch sales, & find some clearance paper to test my wedding invite template I made. I find some without problems, find some without tags. I remember the incident, a sales represetative walked by... I kindly requested she do a price check for me, no problem. I find more paper fine, more paper untagged but no sales representative around. I put it to the side and keep looking... while looking I found quite a bit of that paper, and many others UNTAGGED... I want the paper.... I put it in my basket and tell the cashier I have some items from the clearace section untagged.

She begins... three papers NO tags, all on clearance, I'll take 'em. One paper no tag, regular price... I make the same request as before, honor a similiar clearance price based on the fact it is most likely stockin error, lots of that paper was there without the price tag and even more so, lots of different designs were stocked there WITHOUT tags... I told her proof is on her counter as we speak (The first three I choose had no tags but were in the clearance section, on clearance). She just rang me up 3 other papers without tags, from the clearance section on clearance, yet said there was nothing she could do. She happend to be the same supervisor who serviced me with last incident, she remembered the incident and told me she discussed it with her Assistant Mngr. & Store Mngr. - they stated policy is policy and there was nothing they could do. I explained that I understand policy and its placement in the system but there should be room for exceptions, such as this one. Two times, I have spent the time to look for an item expecting to buy at a good price and ended up unhappy because they would not take responsibililty for their own error. It got a bit loud, and I flat out told her it was stupid to argue over a lousy $1.70 price difference BUT I was standing ground on principal of customer service. She continued to say there was nothing she could do, so I asked if they were willing to loose a regular customer over the dissatisfation of a $1.70 difference. She held her position of being unable to make any adjustments.

Pissed I was, so pissed, I told the lady I was NOT going back here anymore. I like the physical set-up BUT the customer service sucks...

I was totally unhappy & to make it worse I didnt pay good attention to the items I did purchase. I bought a marker set for drawing with a 40% off coupon (though I must say the fellow patrons are GREAT - I often give my extra coupons out as we shop - and today the favor was so kindly recipricated, a fellow shopper had an extra coupon and gave it to me!). When I got home and unloaded my items the damned box was already opened with missing markers!!! Uggghhhhhh!!! I called the store right away to let them know so I would not get a hassle upon return, I shall be going back tomorrow for exchange.

Thing is I don't WANT to go back. Looking back this stores overall service is crappy. It is the closest to me and where I do the majority of my Michael's shopping, but looking back I am constantly walking around the store looking for someone if I have a question and NEVER do I find someone quicky. Most of the time those representatives have no knowledge of the products and on girl even said, "I don't do scrapbooking, I don't know." Well that's fine, but she didn't even offer to find the answer from someone else... she just walked away! Of all my times in that store I can only recall one female cashier and one male service representative that always provided good service. Now I wish I took better note of their name to give them credit where credit is due.

Pondering the situation, I feel very just in the position I've taken. Managment has the ability to discount items of any nature when they see fit. I know this personally due to an experience at another store.

During Spring Football I was taking up the task of gifts for our division, our Board Leaders, & our Team Moms. Having been in the McCarthy Ranch Center, Milpitas, CA for other shoppings I dropped in at Michael's. Some items desired where on sale and some weren't. I asked for the manager, explained my position with the team and the details of what I was purchasing... she kindly gave my a discount on regular prices items as a nice gesture to youth sports. I was greatful & noted to myself how nice shopping in that store was.

If I decide to continue being a patron of Michaels I will have to travel several extra miles just to get my items... which means my financial service will be less by elements of time & travel. But I would rather go where the staff knows how to treat their customers!

-meoc